London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 26, 2026

Brownies to learn coding to get more girls into science

Brownies to learn coding to get more girls into science

Brownies are to start learning to code while younger girls in Rainbows will explore app design in a bid to inspire more of them to take up STEM subjects.

Just over half (52%) of girls aged 11 to 21 think STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects are for boys, a Girlguiding survey has shown.

Now new digital skills activities are being rolled out to the charity's national programme for ages five to 18.

Ten-year-old Brownie Peyton said she loved learning to code.

"It was so much fun. Fixing bugs was hard, but once I tried it a few times, I could do it", she said.

Peyton said once she had a few goes, she could do it


Rainbows, the organisation's branch for four to seven-year olds, will be taught about app design through an app based on rescuing unicorns.

Older girls in Brownies, who are up to 10, will be writing code for a robot - in the sessions available to almost 400,000 girls.

In the organisation's attitudes survey, 42% of girls said they did not feel there were enough women role models in STEM sectors.

However the survey of about 2,000 girls and young women did show younger girls were less likely to think STEM subjects were for boys - with only 13% of girls aged seven to 10 agreeing.

Maddie Wray-Reynolds says the sessions "are just so fun"


Maddie Wray-Reynolds, who runs Brownie and Guides units, said the statistics were "quite worrying when girls have so much to offer",

She recalled one session during which an eight-year-old told her she couldn't be a doctor because she was a girl. "It's really upsetting," she said.

The programme would "show girls who aren't given the opportunity in other parts of life that they can do it here", said the 23-year-old from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

"The activities are just so fun…everyone has heard of Google, even the five-year-olds," she told the BBC.

The "build a phone" sessions for Rangers, aged 14 to 18, will explore ideas about phone designing


Girlguiding said the activities were aimed at encouraging more girls and young women to pursue interests in technology and engineering - and tackle gender stereotypes.

For older girls, in the Guides and the Rangers, there are sessions on chatbots and phone design, which have been designed in partnership with Google.

Girlguiding initially partnered with the tech giant in 2018 to launch digital adventure badges for Brownies and digital design badges for Rangers. More than 15,000 girls took part.

Now there will be a digital design Google badge for all age groups, from Rainbows to Rangers.

The activities can be completed offline to ensure they are accessible to all

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Prosecutors Seek More Than 10 Years in Prison for Former DUP Leader Jeffrey Donaldson
UK Provided £66 Million in Emergency Security Funding for Mosques After Southport Disorder
Manston Inquiry Examines Role of Government Decisions in 2022 Overcrowding Crisis
Justice System Capacity Pressures Raise Concerns Over Release of Sex Offenders
UK Food and Drink Trade Deficit Widens to Record £21.1 Billion
UK Releases Climate Security Findings Previously Withheld Under Starmer
TalkTalk Races to Sell Consumer and Broadband Businesses as Administration Threat Looms
NHS Bodies Impose Minimum Two-Year Waits for ADHD and Autism Assessments
Andy Burnham Pledges £210 Million to Revive Boarded-Up High Streets
UK Borrowing Reaches £18.3 Billion in August Ahead of Autumn Budget
Vistry Cuts Profit Outlook as Losses Deepen and Private Home Sales Weaken
Reported Assaults on Great Britain’s Railways Rise Sharply
Far-Right Activist Daniel Thomas Arrested After Channel Dinghy Slashing
Ukrainians in Britain Face Greater Homelessness Risk as Host Payments Are Cut
Scottish Drug Deaths Rise as Synthetic Opioids Spread
UK Diesel Prices Approach Record High as Energy Costs Intensify
UK Food and Drink Trade Deficit Widens to Record £21 Billion
Britain’s Largest Planned AI Supercomputer Delayed by Power Grid Constraints
NHS Boards Impose Minimum Waits of Up to Two Years for ADHD and Autism Assessments
Police Arrest Far-Right Activist After Migrant Dinghy Slashed in English Channel
Synthetic Opioids Drive Renewed Rise in Scotland’s Drug Deaths
Reported Assaults on Britain’s Railways Rise 20% in a Year
Vistry Cuts Profit Forecast as Losses Weigh on UK Housebuilder
TikTok Drops Appeal and Accepts £12.7 Million UK Data Protection Fine
Russell Group Urges UK Government to Drop Proposed International Student Levy
Legal & General Plans to Cut 1,000 Jobs by Mid-2027
UK Health Bill Would Remove Independent Governors From NHS Foundation Trusts
BMA Raises Patient Safety Concerns Over Advanced Practitioners Filling Doctor Rotas
UK’s Largest AI Supercomputer Delayed by Power Supply Constraints
NHS Orders Security Cameras in Neonatal Units Following Thirlwall Inquiry
Post-Brexit Trade Barriers Cost UK Economy Up to £6.5 Billion a Year, Analysis Says
UK Parliament Launches Inquiry Into Bank of England Monetary Policy Independence
Global Bond Selloff and Higher Oil Prices Narrow UK Budget Options
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Addresses UN and Holds First Meeting With Donald Trump
Royal Navy Commandos Complete Maritime Operations Training With US Navy SEALs
Vistry Profit Warning Adds to Concerns Over UK Housebuilding Conditions
UK Commits £343 Million to Major Expansion of Community Mental Health Services
Five Eyes Partners Back UK-Led Campaign Against Global Fraud Networks
UK Businesses Gain Full Access to £13 Trillion CPTPP Trading Bloc
UK Allocates Nearly £10 Billion for Council, Social and Affordable Housing
Chancellor John Healey Unveils Deregulation Drive to Accelerate UK Investment and Growth
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Post-Brexit Foreign Policy Vision at United Nations
UK Reassesses Chagos Arrangements as Burnham Seeks New Path on Diego Garcia
Key Trends to Watch
Government’s “Buy British” Procurement Push Targets More Domestic Jobs and Industrial Capacity
Scotland Launches Four-Year Flood Resilience Programme With New Community Funding
Low-Income Renters Face Record Gap Between Housing Support and Private Rents
UK and US Test Torpedo Launch From British Undersea Drone in Defence Technology Milestone
Britain Pushes Artificial Intelligence Security Onto United Nations Security Council Agenda
Treasury Committee Defends Office for Budget Responsibility Independence Amid Fiscal Pressure
×